Genus Cochlitoma
Archachatina marginata var. marginata Swainson,1821 Shell:Large and broad,colouring light brownish with darker axial,irregular bands, streaks and blotches,whorls separated by a ridge along the sutures. Columella,as in the other Achatinds,truncated.Parietal wall and columella bluish-white. About 170 mm. Distribution:West Africa,Democratic Republic of the Congo,Cameroon,Dahomey, Fernando Po,Gabon,Equatorial Guinea,Nigeria (North and South).Archachatina marginata var. ovum Pfeiffer,1858 Shell:Large and broad, with a white or bluish-white outer lip, but apricot-yellow columella and parietal area.Apex yellowish to apricot coloured.Slightly larger than var marginata.Length about 180 mm. Distribution:Southern part of Nigeria.
Photo:Arno Brosi
Archachatina marginata var. suturalis Philipi,1858 Shell:Medium to large,more slender and with a narrower body whorl. Columella and parietal wall more or less vinaceous red. Apex usually red. Distribution: West Africa, Dahomey, Southern Nigeria, Cameroon, French Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Fernando Po, São Tomé and Principe.
More info: Archachatina purpurea Gmelin,1790 Shell:slender ovate-oblong. The last whorl is long and relatively slender.Length up to 90 mm. Colour pale olivaceous-yellow,the periostracum on the oldest whorls flakes off easily giving them a pinkish colour. "The last whorl has nearly straight, narrow, dark brown vertical streaks or lines, irregularly spaced and varying greatly in numbers. These streaks are more prominent than in ventricosa .Inside varying from pale vinaceous-red to dark purple, usually with a broad blackish purple inner edge. Columella and parietal wall purplish-red." (Source:Andreas Leiss) Distribution:Ghana.
Photo:Gabi Kosek
Archachatina ventricosa Gould,1850 Shell:very broadly oval,last whorl very convex The colour is olivaceous-yellow, the apex is yellowish or roseate, the whorls have chestnut-brown streaks at irregular intervals, the last whorl is more uniform olivaceous sometimes with yellowish and brownish spots. The colour of aperture inside, columella and parietal wall varies from violaceous pink to salmon pink. The inner edge of the outer lip is violaceous-black.(Source:Andreas Leiss)
Photo:Kevin A. v. spectaculum Pilsbry,1933 has the pinkish colouring further into the shell. Distribution:Sierra Leone,Liberia.
Cochlitoma churchilliana Melvill & Ponsonby,1895 Shell:Light,length of the spire almost the same as the length of the aperture. Colour yellow with wavy,reddish-brown axial bands or stripes.But uniform yellow specimens appear too. Length up to 70 mm. Habitat:Coastal lowland,dune forest,grassland,palmveld and savanna. Distribution:Eastern South-Africa;Zululand coast,Mtunzini area north towards southern Mozambique.Common. Two forms exist,besides churchilliana itself:sanctaeluciae is narrower striped,zuluensis is broader striped.
Cochlitoma dimidiata Smith,1878 Shell:Thin,variable in width.Two forms exist:the typical form has the spire and half of the bodywhorl yellowish to reddish-brown colored,the lower half of the shell is pale yellowish-brown to pale olive-brown. The form burnupi is uniform olive-yellow to reddish-brown with a paler and a bit more pinkish apex. Length up to 83 mm. Habitat:Podocarpus forest,Leucosidea thickets,subalpine grassland;a montane species. Distribution:Eastern South-Africa;Dundee and Vryheid north to Mpumalanga and Limpopo Province.The form burnupi can be found south in KwaZulu-Natal Drakensberg;Lotheni north to the Normandien Pass(1500-2500 m).
Cochlitoma drakenbergensis Melvill & Ponsonby,1897 Shell:Narrow with a high spire,glossy.Colour brownish-yellow to olive-brown with wavy reddish-brown axial stripes.These might be absent. Habitat: Distribution:Eastern South-Africa;around Dargle and Polela. Possibly a local form of A.granulata.
Cochlitoma granulata Krauss,1848 Shell:Large and thin,aperture very large and spire low. Colour light yellowish-brown to olive-brown,with orangish- to dark-brown wavy axial stripes or bands.Aperture blue tinged. Uniform shells without colour pattern appear too. Length up to 127 mm but usually smaller than 100 mm. Habitat:Podocarpus forest,scarp forest,also in suburban areas. Distribution:Eastern South-Africa;Eshowe and Melmoth(Zululand)along the KwaZulu Natal coast south to the Mtamvuna River into Pondoland.Around the Bulwer and the Estcourt area.
Cochlitoma ustulata limitanea van Bruggen,1984 Shell:Narrow,cylindrical.Colour yellowish-brown with reddish-brown axial stripes. Length up to 120 mm. Habitat:Coastal scarp forest in leaf litter. Distribution:Eastern South-Africa;The Pondoland coast and Transkei.
< Cochlitoma montisempli van Bruggen,1965 Shell:Thick and narrow.Colour dark reddish olive-brown,mostly with a pale line along the suture. Length up to 82 mm. Habitat:Montane Podocarpus forest,grassy slopes. Distribution:Eastern South-Africa;the Cathedral Peak-Monk's Cowl area of the central KwaZulu-Natal Drakensberg(1400-2750 m).
Cochlitoma omissa van Bruggen,1965 Shell:Similar to A.montistempli but narrower and paler.Colour brownish-olive with a yellowish line along the suture. Length up to 68 mm. Habitat:Forests. Distribution:Eastern South-Africa;the Cathedral Peak area of the central KwaZulu-Natal Drakensberg(1400-2100 m).
Cochlitoma parthenia Melvill & Ponsonby,1903 Shell:The smallest Archachatina species,whorls convex,aperture small,sutures deep. With dense,curved axial threads.Colour Whitish with a light yellow periostracum Length up to 39 mm. Habitat:Probably dune and lowland forest. Distribution:Eastern South-Africa;along the Zululand coast.
Cochlitoma semidecussata Pfeiffer,1846 Shell:Small and narrow,granules fine.Colour yellow with wavy,reddish-brown stripes.Sometimes uniform yellow. Length up to 82 mm. Habitat:Coastal lowland and scarp forest. Distribution:Eastern South-Africa;KwaZulu-Natal coast.
Cochlitoma semigranosa Pfeiffer,1861 Shell:Narrow elongated with a high spire,coarse granulate whorls except on the lower half of the bodywhorl which is smooth. Colour brownish-yellow with wavy,dark reddish-brown axial bands. Length up to 103 mm. Habitat:Coastal and scarp forest in leaflitter. Distribution:Eastern South-Africa;KwaZulu-Natal,Pondoland;form the Mtamvuna River to Durban northwards,inland to Oribi Gorge.
Cochlitoma simplex Smith,1878 Shell:Relatively small and squat,whorls globose and spire low,columella curved leftwards. Color yellowish-brown with faint reddish-brown streaks,apex pink tinged. Length to 70 mm but usually not more than 60 mm. Habitat:Thickets near rivers,bushveld,grassy savanna. Distribution:Eastern South-Africa;Thukela Basin,Kranskop and Mooi River north towards Ladysmith and the area of Nqutu.
Cochlitoma vestita Pfeiffer,1855 Shell:Light and fragile,apex pointed(for an Archachatina),aperture large.With axial threads, cut into very small granules on the first whorls.Periostracum thick,forming small folds. Colour pale yellowish with wide,axial reddish-brown stripes.Yellow brown periostracum. Length up to 70 mm. Habitat:Dune forest. Distribution:Eastern South-Africa;Cape Vidal north towards and into South-Mozambique.
Achatina varicosa Pfeiffer,1861 Shell:Similar to A.zebra but narrower,surface more smooth and glossier. Color uniform brownish-yellow,or with reddish- or blackish-brown wide axial stripes. Length up to 100 mm. Habitat:Coastal forests,wide variety of habitats. Distribution:Eastern South-Africa;The East-London area north along the coast of Transkei to Mbotyi,inland to Lusikisiki.
Cochlitoma zebra Bruguiere,1792 Shell:Very variable in shape as well as coloring.Ground color is whitish,but yellow-brownish because of the color of the periostracum.With wavy blackish or reddish-brown bands.Sometimes dark brown with just of few bands,or uniform pale brownish-yellow. Length 140 mm. Habitat:In leaflitter in a wide range of habitats. Distribution:Eastern South-Africa;Cape Agulhas east along the coast towards East- London.Transkei and the Kokstad area. This species can be oviparous(egglaying) or ovoviviparous(giving birth to live young)depending on enviromental conditions.
